The Daily Banner
September 3, 1999
By Jaime Roe

Continued from Aquaculture Tanks in the News – Part 1

“I invested much time and money in the project in the beginning If the fish died, I had to examine the design of the system to determine what was wrong and make changes,” Mr. Sheriff said. “It takes six months for the system to run to determine if it will work, and then the changes have to be made, and the process starts over.”

He invested nearly $750,000 dollars in Delmarva Fisheries including costs for the land, building, tanks, fish and supplies. In two years, Mr. Sheriff expects to receive the money back that he has invested by grossing between $450,000 – $500,000 per year.

The fishery requires little maintenance, such as cleaning the filters, filling the automatic feeders and sizing the fish for sale.

“Determination and investment money are the two main requirements for beginning a fish farm,” added Mr. Sheriff.

After obtaining a patent on his system, Mr. Sheriff began marketing his innovation under the name of Opposing Flows Technology. The manufacturing of the systems is performed at his business in Federalsburg.

Mr. Castle also encouraged him to begin selling the systems to boost the aquacultural industry. “It was not my intention to sell the tanks, only the fish, but it became a side business nearly two years ago,” Mr. Sheriff said. “The Department of Aquaculture refers people to me who are interested in beginning their own fisheries.”

He has built 60 tanks so far, constituting an average of ten farms sold in Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Mr. Sheriff worked as an engineer for the University of Maryland the 1980s. From there he became an industrial fabricator. Most recently, he was a Project Engineer for the W.R. Chemical Co. in Baltimore. He resides in Kent Island and commutes to Dorchester County.

“Delmarva Fisheries has exceeded my expectations, and I am pleased with the way things are going. Both the tanks and the fishery are nice businesses,” Mr. Sheriff said. “Those in the aquaculture industry are not really farmers, we are entrepreneurs.